Genealogists know that even though each family’s history is unique, reading or hearing stories of how other people found family history information that they were looking for can give you new clues or helpful hints for your own research. One place where you can go to read about how other people found information about their ancestors is Ancestry.com. More specifically, there is a section of the Ancestry.com blog called “Ask Ancestry Anne”. Not only are the stories in the “Ask Ancestry Anne” column fun to read, they really showcase the immense variety of types of records that genealogists can use … Continue reading →

Genealogy buffs can find a plethora of information at the GenealogyBuff.com website. You can search through the resources for free. They hope to inspire people to begin, and to continue, researching their family tree. Have you tried this website yet? GenealogyBuff.com is a great place to find marriage, birth, and death records (listed by county). Search through state and federal census records, immigration records, obituaries, and more. They have advice for people who are brand new to genealogy. Start with yourself, and work backwards. I think this is a great way to begin. You already know, without a doubt, what … Continue reading →

Be careful where you get your information from when you are working on genealogy! Not all source material has the same validity. The wealth of resources available on the internet can both help, and harm, your genealogy research. Paying attention can help you to avoid incorporating mistakes into your family tree. A recent article in the Citizen Times notes the dangers of believing everything you see on the internet, especially when it involves genealogy. You don’t want to accidentally pick up incorrect information about your family tree. This can happen when you are reading a personal blog of another genealogist, … Continue reading →

The Social Security Death Index (also known as the SSDI, Social Security Master Death List, or other similar names) is perhaps the most misunderstood index that is commonly used by genealogical researchers. Why is there so much confusion about the SSDI? I am not sure exactly why, but perhaps its name suggests that its contents are more inclusive than they actually are. In today’s society, nearly every American has a Social Security number. In the 1930’s, when the Social Security program came into existence, that was not the case. Many people did not get Social Security numbers because the program … Continue reading →